This animated video brings together the stories of participants in the ethnographic research, it presents a new perspective, and proposes new (design) directions for energy transition stakeholders.

Transcript:

Once the renovation is completed, the installation does its work. A heat pump heats the house and the hot tap water without natural gas. But while the installation does its work, we expect residents to do something too. But they sometimes do different things than expected and intended. We see that many residents open their windows, while they are intended to be kept closed when it is colder outside. We see that residents use more hot water than estimated. Other residents temporarily turn off the ventilation system, even though they have been told to keep it on.

Why do residents do different things than we expect of them? And how can we respond to that? To answer that question, it makes sense to view the household as a performance of a play. The play is the energy transition. This play consists of many scenes. Every household in the energy transition plays a scene. The scene has multiple characters. Residents and installations both have roles. The heat pump heats, but it only gets warm inside if the resident keeps the windows closed. The resident can enjoy fresh air, but only if the ventilation system plays its role and supplies fresh air.

We can partly direct this scene. We can direct the role of residents by, for example, giving them a manual. And we can shape the role of installations by setting and programming them. But, people and technologies play their roles in different ways. A thermostat measures temperature, while a resident physically feels local comfort (and can therefore grab a blanket). A ventilation system works predictably based on measured values, while a resident can plan ahead based on the agenda. In short, people (can) improvise, while installations must be predictable and cannot deviate from their script. We can respond to this. We can encourage, support or give direction to residents’ improvisations by giving the right instructions from the director. Let’s look at some improvisations and how an intervention that supports that improvisation can contribute to a better scene and ultimately a better play.

Marijn and Joost live with a family of six in an energy-neutral house. Their domestic hot water system only makes hot water once a day, and that is not enough. Their youngest son therefore sometimes has a cold shower. To avoid the cold shower, the family improvises an overview for the use of hot water every week. This allows them to determine who can shower on what day and when the dishes should be done.

We introduce the hot water planner. This device makes it easier for residents to plan their hot water use. They can indicate when they expect to need hot water. When the hot water is running low, the device changes color to warn them. The landlord distributes this device to larger families.

Dave turned the attic into an office. However, the ventilation system is also located in the attic and makes quite a bit of noise; too much for his concentrated work. By searching online forums for the installation guide, Dave found a way to access hidden settings that allow him to disable the system for a period of time.

We introduce the zero energy doctor. This is a volunteer energy coach. This person knows the details of installations and gathers new insights by talking to residents and monitoring online forums. This person will then explain these insights and apply them to residents in the neighborhood to help make their energy-neutral home work for them.

Rob and Sacha did some experimenting to get the desired internal temperature. They have discovered that it is much faster and more convenient to regulate the temperature by opening and closing the windows than with the thermostat. Now they keep the thermostat at 22 degrees and open a window if it gets too hot.

We introduce the experimenting thermostat. This thermostat is available on request for the interested resident. It does not stay at the temperature set by the end users, but experiments with them. For example, the self-learning algorithms will lower the temperature when energy consumption is high, to encourage residents to close the windows. It tries to minimize the number of times users have to intervene while reducing energy consumption.

So, how do these stage directions support the improvisation? We used these principles: Creating a dynamic division of roles between residents and installations such as heat pumps. Set up installations so that they are flexible and correctable, and thus adaptable to the situation. Creating a feedback loop from use to system designer and back. Pick up, monitor and distribute good improvisation ideas.

How can you give stage directions for improvisation? And how does that contribute to the energy transition?